Last Night in Nuuk

By Niviaq Korneliussen

Five friends attempt to find themselves in the nightlife of Greenland’s capital city in this “audacious and honest, sorrowful and triumphant” debut novel (NPR).
 
In a collection of blurry nights and bleary mornings after, Greenlandic author Niviaq Korneliussen weaves together the coming of age of five young people in the city of Nuuk.
Fia has recently sworn off men only to discover that the woman she wants is unavailable. Her brother Inuk is forced to escape Greenland after being implicated in a political scandal. Arnaq struggles to cope with her past as her hard-partying life spirals out of control. Meanwhile, Ivik and Sara must confront an important transition in their relationship.
 
With vibrant imagery and daring prose, Korneliussen creates a Greenlandic literature unlike any we have known before—young, urbane, stream-of-consciousness, studded with textspeak and delirious with nightlife. This inventive debut “transports us to a cold homeland where the blood runs hot” (Guardian, UK).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780802146748

Book preview

CRIMSON & CLOVER

FIA

Our plans:

1. When I’ve finished my education and have the money, we’ll buy a house with lots of rooms and a balcony.

2. We’ll get married.

3. We’ll have three or four kids.

4. Every day, we’ll go shopping after work and drive home in our car.

5. We’ll get old and die.

Peter. One man. Three years. Thousands of plans. Millions of dinner invitations. Vacuuming, dishwashing and cleaning, rushing on forever towards infinity. False smiles turning uglier. Dry kisses stiffening like desiccated fish. Bad sex should be avoided at all costs. My faked orgasms get harder to believe as time goes by. But we’re still making plans.

The days become darker. The void in me expands. My love no longer has a taste. My youth’s turning old. What keeps me alive is dying. My life has become worn, aged. Life? What life? My heart? It’s a machine.

‘What’re we having for supper?’

Sticky pig’s tails, which reminds me of what you have in your pants, is what I want to reply.

‘What are you doing when you’re off work?’

What would you do if I didn’t answer? I want to ask him.

‘Do you want to stay in and watch a film with me this evening?’

For fuck’s sake, when was the last time you were exciting? I want to say to him.

Would you completely grind to a halt if I never came back again? Would you weep? Would your life be over? Would your life begin? Come on, what would you do? ‘Do you love me?’ you ask. I love your love, but no, I don’t love you. Sorry, but that’s life. Is life supposed to be like this? Is this all love can offer? If it is, well then I simply don’t understand it.

Have I made a mistake?

Fuck, fuck.

‘I’ll fry some steaks.’

‘I’ll find you in town when you get off work.’

‘You bet.’

‘Yes, I love you.’

Shit.

Plan:

Live together.

Walk over to the co-op in sleet when I’m off work. Fried steak, soda water and fruit, oh, did you remember our membership card, back home in a stinking bus filled with people who smile and greet you, iggu, baby, you’re ever so sweet, he says, my lips smile, my brain’s about to explode; another part of my mind says stop smiling, you ugly son of a bitch; can’t stop thinking that I’m looking forward to going to bed this evening, disappearing into another world, waking up to the same shitty day tomorrow, hope he won’t try to have sex with me, but I think it’s likely, what reason should I come up with, let’s go out, ouch, I’ve had a headache since this morning, feel like going to bed early this evening, iggu, I’ll take care of you, put my arms around you, fucking hope he’ll have something to do and want to go to bed late, wish he would at least play a video game but no, he’s a gentleman, wish that some other woman had him, but no, he doesn’t even look when a girl with a great ass passes by, that gentleman, fucking gentleman, iggu, you seem tired, were you busy today, you needn’t begin all your sentences with iggu, yeah, been ever so busy; a true man that I will have to spend the rest of my life with, a man who chooses to take care of me instead of looking at a great ass, wish he’d look at an ass which isn’t mine, iggu, don’t worry, I’ll make some food for you, I knew he’d say that, I can make my own food, you can hang out with your friends, isn’t there football on, iggu, no, I’ll take care of you when you’re under the weather, I give up and nod, I’m already tired of him after forty-five minutes, need to be alone and light a cig before going indoors, iggu, smoking kills, is he joking, ha ha ha, how funny, kill me already, it’s best if you suck in, smoke the cig until it’s completely finished, he thinks that smoke smells so I don’t wash my hands and ignore my bad breath, a gentleman who never grumbles, iggu, get some rest, life would be a bit more exciting if only he’d grumble a bit more, I walk over to him, kiss me, he kisses me and gives me a hug, iggu, I hope you’ll feel better, I give up and go into my room, log on to Facebook, would like to tag Peter and write: does anyone want this man who never grumbles and never glances at anybody else, I’m tired of my life, my back hurts because I always sit hunched over, he loves me so much that I want something evil to take possession of my body so that I can knife him, four years in prison, rehabilitation, a new life, maybe a more exciting life, and my boyfriend, future husband, love him till death do us part, iggu, the food’s just about ready, iggu iggu iggu …

You better run for your fucking life or maybe I’ll knife myself, a gravestone with my name on it, date of birth, date of death; you were already so dead that you might as well die young; I’d be remembered as that woman who represents everything that’s evil, mothers would tell their children not to follow in her footsteps, and I’d be useful that way, fuck yes, I would, I’d laugh from down below and tell myself that you fucking well deserve it, you triggered it because of your self-pity and say iggu, iggu, iggu to myself, tormenting my buried body so that I can teach myself a lesson, iggu, come, dinner’s ready, the devil’s brought me back to earth, punishing me before my reverie becomes too good, must refrain from laughing, sit down at table, yum it tastes good, iggu, please eat, there’re lots of vitamins in the veggies, I sigh, no longer listening to what he says, merely nodding, he asks me something, didn’t quite catch it, your colleagues what, the sweetest man knows I’m not listening, but tries again: iggu, have you seen Jørgen’s work, no, why, iggu, it’s really inspiring, nod once more, you’re really feeling bad today huh, feel the urge to leave, no, I just need some fresh air, I’ll just go for a walk, iggu, yes, sounds like a good idea, I’ll come with you, I could do with a breath of fresh air myself, crap, instant regret, iggu, put some warm clothes on, I’m not a baby I want to say, stop talking to me like that, but as he takes my hand, I take his hand, as he gives me his heart, I hold it, as he sacrifices his heart, I want to ruin it, it’s almost bedtime, having just about survived yet another day, have enough strength, I can manage, I’ll feel much better once I’ve slept, can survive yet another day if I dream of life tonight, maybe there’s new life tomorrow, maybe another life entirely, maybe not, maybe yet another day like today, probably, hope’s pointless, hope’s dead, the gravestone reads: ‘Hope, as you didn’t show, I discovered that you weren’t among us any more’, now we’re almost back home again. Something doesn’t feel right, it has never felt right. Fresh air didn’t do me any good, I’ve gotten wet, not in my pussy but because of rain and sleet, my pussy’s dry, I fucking well hope he won’t try this evening, iggu, what would you like to do when we’re back home, as he winks at me I realise that hope really has passed away, am simply so tired that I go to bed, iggu, don’t worry, I’ll give you a massage, all right then, I brush my teeth and go to bed wide awake, he gives me a massage, feeling a bit better, thanks a lot, my sweetheart, I’m feeling better now, and before I’ve finished my sentence he places himself on top of me, fuck it, something hard touches my body, I love your body so much, I want you, I kiss him, no, I’m really exhausted, how about early tomorrow morning, iggu, okay then, he gives in because he’s a gentleman but now he’s slightly sad, iggu, I love you my darling, I love you but I’m just not in the mood because I’m so tired, he smiles because he’s heard what he wants to hear, iggu, that’s fine, let me put my arms around you till you fall asleep, and he holds me in his arms until I fall asleep, the sweetest man, my thoughts are elsewhere, I wonder how I can live such a life, I’m dead after all, how on earth can I treat the sweetest man so badly, what am I to do, oh well, I’ll just have to try to sleep, after all there are no answers to my questions and yet another day, the very same day is about to dawn, and I must worship this holy night. Hope: you must rest in peace, what a shame that you’ve killed yourself.

Plan:

Dead.

Death has begun to appear in my dreams, and I’m petrified. Murder. Death of the soul. A shrivelled corpse. Suicide. Death has begun to visit me, and I’m petrified. Mass murder. A failed suicide attempt. Envious of the dead. I’ve begun to walk hand in hand with it, and I’m petrified. I make up my mind because death won’t leave my mind. There has always been something missing here.

‘Anybody home?’

‘Hi.’

‘Iggu, sorry I’m late, I’ve been so busy,’ he says.

‘Peter, we need to talk.’

‘Why have you packed your things?’

And then something like: what’s going on, are you okay,

Reviews for Last Night in Nuuk

[othemts · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't say I know enough about Greenland to have any misconceptions about Greenland, nevertheless I was surprised that this novel was set in an urban area.  The city of Nuuk, Greenland's capital and largest city with 18,000 people, is described by one of the characters:"Nuuk is big when there's somebody you actually want to bump into.  People you don't want to see pop up all the time, but people you want to see are nowhere to be found." - p. 170The novel is in five chapters, each from the perspective of a different young adult in Nuuk, focusing on that individual's experience as a queer person.  They deal with issues such as the first-time feeling of same sex attraction, the shame and anger of a relationship with a Greenland politician going public, cheating, and recognizing transgender identity.  The stories overlap as the characters know one another as siblings, housemates, and romantic partners. Each of the character's writes in a different style, which includes letters, journals, stream of conciousness, and even snippets of text messages. The names of the characters also tie into gender identity in the original Greenlandic, which this translation is good about making clear.The author translated the book into Danish which is the source of this English translation.  The book was originally titled Homo Sapienne and is also being published under the title Last Night in Nuuk.  This book is a good glimpse into contemporary life in Greenland and is a great LGBTQ read for Pride Month, as well as being an excellent work of contemporary literature.

[alanteder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Greenlandic twenty-somethings spiral out from Rashomon-like encounterReview of the English language translation of "Homo Sapienne" by Anna HalagerThis would be a 3 in my regular scoring, but it gets a bump to 4 just for the added frisson of being the first Greenlandic novel that I have ever read. And I just like the interconnectedness of having a single encounter being a pivot point for each of the 5 character stories here. That is what I mean by "Rashomon-like" in the header, i.e. the same encounter from several different points-of-view, not meaning that it is a murder/assault as in the film. I also tagged this as "short stories as a novel" as the 5 characters here have their own 5 separate sections of the book to tell their tales about how they interact with the others. Mock screengrabs of texting as the equivalent of conversation was a neat modern day touch, but likely will date the book in the long run. Still overall I enjoyed this first novel from a young Greenlandic writer (24-years-old when this was first published in 2014). The ending is a bit of a deus ex machina in that an unrelated event is suddenly introduced into the mix in order to create a "happy ending." Niviag Korneliussen had her breakthrough through the short story "San Francisco" (2012) which was published in "Inuusuttut - nunatsinni nunarsuarmilu" (Young in Greenland - Young in the World) (2013). The short story also has characters named Fia and Sara, who are the main leads of "Last Night in Nuuk," although the story has a more dreamy surreal plot with a different end result. You can read "San Francisco" in English translation here or in the Nordic anthology collection "Dark Blue Winter Overcoat and Other Stories."Trivia NotesNiviaq Korneliussen wrote this novel first in Greenlandic and also translated it herself into Danish. I am assuming that the English translation by Anna Halager was from the Danish edition although that isn't explicitly stated in my ARC copy.Confusingly, the novel is being published under 2 different titles in its English translation, as "Crimson" in the UK and "Last Night in Nuuk" in North America. Most other translations just seem to go with the original "Homo Sapienne."

[danieljayfriedman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

@Tommyjamesandtheshondells to score Last Night in Nuuk on screen??? #crimsonandclover #overandoverNiviaq Korneliussen’s Last Night in Nuuk isn’t your average LGBTQIA youth novel to burst out of Greenland. Nanortalik’s own Korneliussen provides an always fascinating, occasionally confusing polyvocal novel told through five apparently 20-somethings living in Nuuk. Korneliussen animates Fia, Inuk, Arnaq, Ivik, and Sara through their utterly believable and sometimes discomfiting first person voices. We hear their voices through stream of consciousness, emojis, texts, Facebook DMs, hashtags, and emails, all perfectly replicating today’s communication. Korneliussen convinces us of her characters’ struggles with romance, sexual identify, and navigation of day to day existence and friendship. The believability of the five voices in Last Night in Nuuk comes at a cost: even this reader—rarely squeamish when confronting fictional characters—might have preferred knowing less of, for example, the details of Arnaq’s hangover. And some of the voices—especially those of Fia, Inuk, and Ivik—sound most consistently distinct to me.#NowIdonthardlyknowher and #ButIthinkIcouldloveher accurately describe Fia’s and Ivik’s emerging identities. Here’s Fia describing her frustrations with Peter, her roommate and lover: ”I give up and go into my room, log on to Facebook, would like to tag Peter and write: does anyone want this man who never grumbles and never glances at anybody else, I’m tired of my life, my back hurts because I always sit hunched over, he loves me so much that I want something evil to take possession of my body so that I can knife him, four years to prison, rehabilitation, a new life, maybe a more exciting life. . .” Here’s Fia again soon after: ”WHAT? My own thoughts frighten me. I don’t want to kiss her! What am I thinking of? I know my boundaries. My boundary stops here. Why the hell would I want to kiss a woman? Listen, you’re not into women! I tell myself.” And here’s Ivinnguaq recognizing herself as a man, Ivik: ”My sould finds solace in my body. Now that my body has finally found the answer, my soul is no longer in doubt. I was born again when I was twenty-three years old. I was born as Ivik.” Reading Last Night in Nuuk brings to mind Sally Rooney’s Booker 2018 long-listed Normal People and Anna Burns 2018 Booker-winning Milkman. All three novels deal with teens and 20-somethings struggling to learn about their own and their friends’ identities, all deal with romance and sex, and all convey social claustrophobia. Last Night in Nuuk, like Milkman, layers in concerns about nationality and culture. Here’s Inuk’s e-mail to his sister Fia, after he’s fled to Denmark: ”What it really means to be a Greenlander: You’re a Greenlander when you’re an alcoholic. You’re a Greenlander when you beat your partner. You’re a Greenlander when you abuse children. You’re a Greenlander when you were neglected as a child. You’re a Greenlander when you feel self-pity. You’re a Greenlander when you suffer from self-loathing. You’re a Greenlander when you’re fall of anger. You’re a Greenlander when you’re a liar.” And then here’s Inuk a week later, still in Denmark: ”Greenland is not my home. I feel sorry for the Greenlanders. I’m ashamed of being a Greenlander. But I’m a Greenlander. I can’t laugh with the Danes. I don’t find them funny. I can’t keep up a conversation with the Danes. I find it boring. I can’t act like the Danes. I’m unable to imitate them. I can’t share Danish values. I don’t respect them. I’ll never look like the Danes. I can’t become blond or fair-skinned. I can’t be a Dane among Danes. I’m not a Dane. I can’t live in Denmark. Denmark is not my country. Where is home? / If home isn’t n Greenland, if home isn’t here, where is my home? /Lost.” And most important of all, where Last Night in Nuuk stands apart from Normal People and Milkman is putting LGBTQIA youth, their struggles, their romances, and their lives at the epicenter of her novel. Last Night in Nuuk may appear to be a novel that can be read quickly, but this would do it a disservice. Niviaq Korneliussen gives us a lot to ponder and unpack, and her Last Night in Nuuk demands a thoughtful reading and rereading. It’s a novel that deserves to be widely reviewed and widely read, and to attract the same attention lavished on Normal People and Milkman and largely denied Olumide Popoola’s When We Speak of Nothing and Sjón’s Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was.I would like to thank Black Cat New York/Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[chrisblocker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For me, this was a very "of the moment" novel. By that I just mean that it's tackling the subjects and using the vernacular you might expect of the era. I think this timeliness, mixed with the author's residence (Greenland), prompts a lot of praise. Despite this, I'm not convinced this is one that will stand the test of time (outside of Greenland).There are some great tidbits of stories in here. The structure worked great. The reader is given five narratives, some of which overlap providing differing views of the same events. I particularly liked how a character easy to dislike at the beginning of the novel becomes the easiest to identify with in the end. But the whole thing feels a bit juvenile most of the time. There's a constant obsession with sex and alcohol, most of it comes off as very immature. Last Night in Nuuk is a novel with some good moments drowning in adolescence and alcohol. It was a quick read, however, and it allowed me to scratch Greenland off my reading map.